Well, if you tend to get stuck acting like an Ad Libber, there isn’t one. That’s because, more often than not, things work out for you on the fly. You rely on luck, a quick mind, and the fearlessness to wing it. With minimal effort the world usually works in your favor.

Until it doesn’t. Until that luck you count on stops meaning off-the-cuff charmer and starts requiring a fully prepared person.

Yes, planning is hard. There’s a whole bunch of career disciplines devoted to it, for Pete’s sake. But, on occasion, even the most brilliant of us need to chart out a course before diving in.

Fortunately, not all planning requires spreadsheets and Roman numerals and gobs of research. When your back is against the wall, start by identifying your planning kryptonite — what is it that makes you so adverse to it?

His stuck moment: Rocky Balboa is a small-time boxer and loan collector, struggling to make ends meet and maintain his dignity, in spite of his dead-end prospects.

He comes up with a game plan: When Rocky is asked to fight heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed in an exhibition match, he sees a chance to go from “nobody” to “somebody.” He commits to a daily training plan, including 4 a.m. runs, lots of raw eggs, and hundreds of flights of stairs.

Unstuck result: Rocky knocks Creed down in the first round, and the crowd goes wild. He goes all 15 rounds, only losing on a technicality — proving that he’s someone to take read more

For the organized among us, this question is a nonstarter. For the rest, we bet lots of reasons come to mind, like: I don’t want to stifle creativity. It will make an easy project harder. Nobody pays attention to the plan anyway. Underneath those reasons lurk the real reasons: What if my plan doesn’t work? I don’t think that way. Planning is hard.

To those real reasons we say: A plan helps you stay on track, and helps you know when you’re not. It doesn’t have to be complicated or follow someone else’s overthought format. And it should never be carved in stone.

Occupation: Electronic musician, engineer, producer. “Since I was a teen, I’ve been working in music, so I’ve been in the industry for almost 20 years. I’ve produced everything from heavy rock to teen princess pop. I do music full time and I also teach Bikram yoga part time.”

What are you working on now?“My current album is an electronic dance album. I write the music, perform all instruments, vocals, produce, engineer — I do everything. This is my first under the name ‘Fits of Genius.’

“The first track is titled ‘Say’ and is available via fitsofgenius.com for free. The track is also available on iTunes and Amazon as well a deluxe version on the website.”

How did you hear about the Unstuck app?“One of my best friends in the world noticed I was looking for clarity on how to finish a project and passed it on read more

What is a productivityist?“It’s a person who is a productivity enthusiast. It kind of started out as a joke. I was doing sketch comedy, holding a job at Costco as a department supervisor, and had a family. Trying to manage all of my time, I needed to adopt some systems. But I found that I didn’t get anymore productive, I just learned about more and more systems. So I started Eventualism.com to parody productivity the way Stephen Colbert parodies politics. The site got noticed by David Allen [author of “Getting Things Done”] and I asked him to write for it. Soon after, I got really into the topic and became the very thing I was making fun of. At that point, Eventualism.com was read more

Ad Libbers, also known as people who prefer not to plan, are a lovably determined lot. And fearless, in a way, for looking a project in the eye and believing that they’ll succeed by figuring out it as they go.

First, recognize that planning doesn’t have to be hard or complicated or overly fussy.

Second, know that plans can change. If you need to alter a task or timeline down the road, you can.

Third, it shouldn’t cost money. You won’t need all sorts of tools; paper and pencil will do just fine.

Once you’re comfortably settled into these three principles, you will need to find a system that works for you. And by system it could be as simple as Post-It notes that you gleefully rip off the wall each time something is completed. Or read more

You see things. Good things. Far-flung, unthought-of things with a clarity that others marvel at. Some may call it visionary or creative or even genius. Whatever you name it, your ideas help push the world forward in big and small ways. Thank you.

Not having enough time is a favorite topic to grouse about, no doubt, but it’s also an ingredient for greatness? Mr. Bernstein, who knew a thing or two about timing, was definitely onto something. What’s intriguing about his recipe for success is that it calls for two items that are accessible to all of us. While time isn’t entirely in our control, we can use it to maintain momentum. The plan, however, is completely under our jurisdiction. But when you’re stuck as an Ad Libber, the ways and means aren’t always held in high esteem. To see how beautiful a plan can be, check out Unstuck Tip #23. And when you’re ready to plot your own strategy, tap our “Get Your Game On” tool in the Unstuck read more